Man To Man
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: A man to man talk between Lassiter and Shawn about Juliet.


This is a songfic using the Gary Allan song, Man To Man. It has Shules and a dash of Lassiet, but it's mostly a conversation between Shawn and Lassiter. Loafer, here it is! Enjoy, everybody!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

PsychPsychPsychPsych

Friday afternoon was an unusually quiet day for the Santa Barbara Police department.

Usually there was at least something happening, but on that particular day, it seemed that all the criminals in the city had taken a break, at least for the day. So Chief Karen Vick decided to call it an early day, and for the first time in God knew how long, Carlton Lassiter found himself with a free Friday afternoon.

Having nowhere else to go and nothing really to do, Lassiter drove home, anticipating a quiet night with his good friend Mr. Jim Bean.

He pulled into his driveway fifteen minutes later, killing the engine before he slid out of the driver's seat. Then he made sure the doors were locked before he ambled inside.

Once in the house, he went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet over the refrigerator. Then he went into the living room, loosening his tie as he sat down on the couch.

As he opened the bottle and took a drink, his thoughts strayed to his partner. For the past week, she had been… out of sorts. She didn't talk as much as she normally did, and she barely smiled, which was deeply unsettling for him. She was a person known for her kindness and wonderful attitude. Maybe she was sick.

He took another drink, cursing his refusal to be more personal with her. He kept her at an arm's length for many reasons, no matter how hard she pressed to get closer to him. But lately, it seemed like she had given up.

A soft knock on his front door stirred him out of his thoughts, and for a second, he considered ignoring it. He was off work. This was his time.

"Lassiter? I know you're home!" Juliet called from the other side of the door.

Juliet… He set the bottle down and got up, quickly crossing the floor.

Juliet was standing on his porch, her arms over her chest, when he opened the door.

"O'Hara, what are you doing here?" Without thinking, he looked her over. Obviously she had gone home to change, because instead of wearing her usual suit, she was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers that reminded him of how tiny she was. And she was absolutely stunning.

She leaned against the doorjamb, and Lassiter was concerned by the pain he saw in her features. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah… Of course." He took a step back and held the door open for her.

Juliet made her way inside and sat down on the couch with a deep sigh. Lassiter closed the front door, then joined her on the couch.

He had no idea what was going on with her, or what had driven her to show up at his house alone and vulnerable. But before he could think about it, Juliet flung herself into his arms and started crying into his chest.

Terrified, it was all he could do to wrap his arms around her awkwardly.

What the hell had happened?

PsychPsychPsychPsychPsych

Two weeks later, on a Saturday afternoon, Lassiter was at home. But instead of sitting on the couch with a bottle of alcohol in his hand, he was tidying up his living room while George Strait blasted from a stereo near his TV.

Faintly he heard someone knock at his front door, and he wiped his hands against his pants before answering the door. "Spencer?"

Shawn Spencer returned Lassiter's glare with one of his own. "I need to talk to you."

After a long minute, Lassiter opened his door just enough to let the younger man in. Then he closed it and turned around to face Spencer. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why."

"Why what?"

"Why you took Juliet from me! You had three years to make a move on her, and just when I get her, you decided that you wanted her!"

Lassiter stared at Spencer.

_Well, you're throwing around _

_A lot of serious accusations_

_Ain't too hard to tell _

_What you're insinuating_

_You think I'm the one _

_Who stole her away_

_If not for me_

_She'd still be yours today_

The two men stared at each other for several long moments, until Lassiter turned around and went into the kitchen.

Shawn remained rooted in his place, his fists clenching and unclenching as anger coursed through him.

Finally Lassiter returned to the living room with two glasses filled with an amber liquid. He handed one to Spencer, then took a sip out of his own. "As much as I hate to say it, we're both men here."

Shawn stared at the older man. "Yeah."

"Good. I'm not going to play games. I know what you're saying. You think I stole O'Hara from you."

"I know you did!"

"Why would I do that? O'Hara is my partner."

"When has that stopped you before?" Spencer questioned, remembering the partner Lassiter had before Juliet joined the precinct.

Lassiter shrugged. "I suppose it hasn't."

_We're both men here_

_So why play games?_

_Why don't we call_

_A spade a spade_

He took a slow drink from his glass, relishing the burning sensation as the liquid hit his throat. "Juliet was in a relationship with you. She was happy. I would never do anything to destroy that."

"You wouldn't? You really wouldn't do something that would crush me and make you happy?"

"Yes, it would have made me happy. And I know I could make her happy." Even though he was nowhere near good enough for Juliet, he knew he could make her happy, at least for as long as she chose to stay. Eventually she would go, but not before he tried everything to convince her to stay.

"I made her happy!" Shawn insisted, and he had. He always tried to make her smile. That was the kind of guy he was.

"Really? Then tell me this. What did you do when she cried?"

Shawn looked confused. "What?"

"What did you do when she cried?" Lassiter repeated slowly, anger creeping into his voice.

"I… I tried to make her smile."

"Did you ever stop and think that maybe she needed to cry, and she needed your shoulder to lean on?" He shook his head when Spencer was silent. "Of course not, because that would make you uncomfortable. And that was your problem."

"Trying to make her smile isn't a crime!"

"But that wasn't what she needed!"

"How do you know what she needed?"

"Because, unlike you, I listen. And because I listen, I know exactly what she needs."

_Man to man, tell me the truth_

_Tell me, were you ever there when she needed you?_

_Man to man, look me in the eye_

_Tell me, if you really loved her, why'd you make her cry?_

_Man to man, who cheated who?_

_You're the one to blame, tell me it ain't true_

_Man to man_

_Man to man_

His empty glass was suddenly very heavy in his hand. Lassiter went back into the kitchen and got the bottle of whiskey, then brought it back into the living room. He poured the amber liquid into his glass, then Spencer's.

"I know you think your anger toward me is justified. You blame me for O'Hara dumping you."

Shawn nodded, bringing his glass to his lips.

"But you know something? I think your ego is just bruised. You certainly aren't used to women leaving you."

"Jules is not some woman!" She was the woman for him.

"For once, you're exactly right, Spencer. She isn't just some woman. She is an amazing, beautiful creature who deserves better than either of us could ever hope to give her."

Shawn grew quiet. Lassiter was right about that. Juliet deserved every good thing in the world.

"She's a real woman, not one of those little girls you're so used to playing with. She's better than that."

_Well, you think all your anger is justified_

_Me, I think it's just your wounded pride_

_What did you really think she was gonna do?_

_She's a real woman, not a doormat for you_

The younger man was quiet for a long time. "I love her," he finally whispered. "I… I can't lose her."

Lassiter almost felt sympathetic toward him. Almost. "It's too late for that, Spencer. She broke up with you."

"I can win her back." Shawn started to look determined. "I can't just let her go without a fight."

"What makes you think she'll listen?"

_You want her back_

_Well, it's too late_

_So why don't we _

_Just cut to the chase?_

"I guess she won't," Shawn murmured. That was one of the things he loved about her. Her stubbornness and determination.

"You're right."

Shawn shifted uncomfortably, absently running his fingertips over the old scar on his chest. "I never wanted to hurt her."

"But you did." And Lassiter was very protective of his sweet partner. Anyone who hurt her was going to have a body part ripped off and handed to them. "You hurt her more than you'll ever realize."

He scrubbed his hand over his face. "She was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Yeah. I understand that."

Shawn emptied the glass, then handed it to Lassiter. "Thanks for the talk, Lassie."

"Want me to call a cab?"

"No… I think I'll walk." He started toward the front door.

Lassiter set the empty glasses on the kitchen island, along with the bottle.

Pausing at the door, Shawn turned his head. "Lassiter?"

"What?"

_Man to man, tell me the truth_

_Tell me, were you ever there when she needed you?_

_Man to man, look me in the eye_

_Tell me, if you really loved her, why'd you make her cry?_

_Man to man, who cheated who?_

_You're the one to blame, tell me it ain't true_

_Man to man_

_Man to man_

"Treat her right."

"Excuse me?"

Shawn sighed. "Juliet. You won't find anyone better than her. Treat her right."

Lassiter stared at Shawn, mouth slightly agape.

Smiling sadly, Shawn stayed there for a moment longer before he left Lassiter's house.

For a long time, Lassiter stood there in his living room. Was his attraction to Juliet that obvious? He thought he had hidden it well, especially when Juliet showed up at his house and spent an hour crying in his arms. He had just held her, not saying a word until she was ready to talk to him.

Wasn't that always the case with him? She gave and gave, and he refused to move until she pushed him to. Maybe that was their problem.

After a while, he finally sat down on the couch and reached for his phone. Then he dialed a number that he knew by heart before lifting the phone to his ear.

"O'Hara? Hey. I need to talk to you. Could you meet me for dinner tonight?"

_Man to man, tell me the truth_

_Tell me, were you ever there when she needed you?_

_Man to man, look me in the eye_

_Tell me, if you really loved her, why'd you make her cry?_

_Man to man, who cheated who?_

_You're the one to blame, tell me it ain't true_

_Man to man, man to man_

_Man to man, man to man_

The End.

A/N: Well, there ya go, Loafer. LMAO. Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed this!


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